cairo crackdown. the call to reform grows louder as the egyptian government tells washington to back off. capital shocker. new york representative christopher lee loses his shirt, then his seat. and finding her voice. wounded congresswoman gabrielle giffords takes the next step on wounded congresswoman gabrielle giffords takes the next step on a remarkable road to recovery. captioning funded by cbs good morning, everybody, and thanks for joining us today, i'm betty nguyen. this morning in egypt, protests on the streets of cairo are growing, and so is the friction between egypt and the u.s. there are increasing clashes between protesters and police, and reports of increasing violence outside the capital.

now tomorrow another massive rally is planned. cbs' terry mccarthy is in cairo with the latest. good morning, terry. >> reporter: good morning, betty. pressure is again increasing on president mubarak in this struggle of wills between the protesters and the government. as you can see behind me the protesters still here in tahrir square. but we're also seeing a series of strikes around the country. labor unrest, which is not directly tied to the protests against president mubarak, but even in the suez canal workers are now on strike. even though the ships are still flowing there. and now within cairo, unrest is also spreading from tahrir square. yesterday, protesters ringed the parliament building, and they also blocked the president and the prime minister from getting to his office. and the strategy here is to dilute the security forces so there's more than one place for them to police. the protesters are hoping for a big mobilization of people tomorrow. their strategy now has been to have two big protests on tuesdays and fridays.

tomorrow they're calling for a march of millions. and if they can do that, then the pressure can only increase even further on this government. betty? >> all right, terry mccarthy in cairo for us. thank you, terry. the u.s. insists it is not meddling in the egyptian crisis. the egyptians, though, don't see it that way. vice president called for prompt and meaningful change and in a broadcast interview the egyptian foreign minister said that kind of talk is not helpful. >> when you speak about prompt, immediate, now, as if you are imposing on -- on a great country like egypt, a great friend, that have always been maintained the best of relationships with the united states, you are imposing your will on them. >> the foreign minister said it would be better if the u.s. tried to understand egyptian sensitivities. in pakistan a suicide bomber struck an army training camp near the afghan border this morning. the bomber, dressed in a school

uniform. at least 27 pakistani troops were killed. some 40 others were wounded. today the nation's top intelligence chiefs testify on capitol hill. during the threat assessment hearing the director of national intelligence is expected to tell lawmakers al qaeda and its affiliates remain the top threat to the u.s. now on wednesday, homeland security chief janet napolitano warned the country it faces new threats from those already on u.s. soil. >> the threat continues to evolve, and in some ways, the threat today may be at its most heightened state since the attacks nearly ten years ago. >> napolitano said terrorists in the u.s. could carry out attacks with little or no warning. firefighters in eastern pennsylvania are battling a large fire. apparently caused by a gas line explosion. it began with a house explosion in downtown allentown late last night. the fire spread to eight homes, forcing the evacuation of two

city blocks. at least two people are still unaccounted for and several are injured. the abrupt resignation of new york congressman has shocked his constituents. two-term republican christopher lee resigned wednesday, after this picture showed up on the gossip website gawker. a woman says lee, who is married with a son, sent it to her after they met on craigslist. lee didn't confirm the craigslist posting but issued this statement saying, quote, i regret the harm that my actions have caused my family, my staff, and my constituents. i made profound mistakes and i promise to work as hard as i can to seek their forgiveness. another encouraging step in the remarkable recovery of congresswoman gabrielle giffords. after being shot in the head, she is now speaking. a simple menu request marks the congresswoman's latest milestone. >> i was having breakfast with her a few days ago and she asked me for toast. >> reporter: in an exclusive

interview, giffords' chief of staff told "cbs evening news" anchor katie couric the congresswoman is speaking and improving in all areas. >> she's doing so well it makes every day a little easier for us to see the improvements that she's making, and it's very encouraging. >> it was just over a month ago, a bullet tore through gabby giffords' brain. since then, she's been moved from a tucson intensive care unit to a houston rehabilitation center. her husband, astronaut mark kelly, by her side every step of the way. in a facebook posting tuesday he wrote, the doctors say she is recovering at lightning speed considering her injury. but they aren't kidding when they say this is a marathon process. there are encouraging signs every day. experts say this latest sign is the most encouraging so far. >> the fact that she's able to talk really tells us that a very complex, perhaps the most complex, function in the brain is starting to come back on line.

>> the investigation into the attack that wounded giffords is winding down. local law enforcement officials say the case has been turned over to the fbi. 22-year-old jared loughner is accused of killing six people and wounding 13 others. at least five deaths are being blamed on a powerful snowstorm that struck the nation's midsection. up to two feet of snow fell on parts of oklahoma and arkansas wednesday. the national guard was called and there were stranded motorists in both states. the fast-moving storm has moved south but is expected to move off the atlantic coast sometime this morning. jpmorgan chase says it is sorry, and embarrassed for wrongly foreclosing on military families, and overcharging others. on capitol hill wednesday, bank officials admitted they failed to comply with the law. jpmorgan chase says it overcharged 4,500 active duty service members, and wrongly foreclosed on 18. so far the bank says it has refunded $2.4 million, including

lost interest. on the "cbs moneywatch," stocks in asia lost ground this morning. ashley morrison is here in new york with the latest on that. good morning, ashley. >> good morning to you, betty. asian markets edged lower on cautious trading. japan's nikkei lost a fraction while hong kong's hang seng shed nearly 2%. today wall street gets a look at the weekly jobless claim numbers. on wednesday stocks finished mixed after fed chair ben bernanke told congress he expects unemployment to remain high for several years. the dow added 6 and change. the blue chips have now gained eight days in a row while the nasdaq closed down eight points. some good news on the foreclosure front. data released overnight shows fewer homes have entered the foreclosure process in january than in any month in three years. but the news is not all good. actual home seizures increased 12% from december to january. the foreclosure crisis isn't expected to peak until sometime later this year. expect to see higher prices

at the supermarket due to low supplies. corn costs have doubled in the last six months and that has a ripple effect on everything from steak to cereal. fast food will also likely get more expensive. the higher prices should start showing up in about three months. though most of the impact will not be felt until summer. twitter is not for sale yet but when it is we're talking big bucks. "the wall street journal" is reporting low-level talks between the microblogging website and would-be buyers like facebook and google have been in the neighborhood of $8 billion to $10 billion. so far the talks have gone nowhere. twitter executives have not yet signaled they're ready to sell. and one of the rock stars are in mourning today. guitar hero, one of the most influential video games of all time is no more. while it was once insanely popular, sales have been weak in recent years and the company that makes it is pulling the plug. so i'm sorry, betty. i know you were a huge fan.

>> i don't know what i'm going to do on the weekends now. all right we're going to have to figure this out. ashley morrison joining us here in new york, thank you. just ahead on the "morning news" a wake-up call for diet soda drinkers. plus a would-be robber turned a convenience store into a drive-thru. look at this amazing video. show it to you ahead. plus, katie couric has a preview of tonight's "cbs evening news." >> a luxury boat, shredding parties, and overzealous federal agents. is this really your government at work? the fishy story behind the agency that regulates the $4 billion fishing industry. that's tonight only on the "cbs evening news." winter can be beautiful.

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from severely dry skin with eczema therapy. new from aveeno. discover the power of active naturals look at that. it is no accident, folks. a white van smashes into a convenience store in portland, oregon, as the shocked manager watches, then the van backs up and does it again. the manager retreats and the driver eventually gets out.

police say the same man also tried to pull a woman out of her car. he is in jail this morning charged with robbery, kidnapping, and drunken driving. lindsay lohan is free on $40,000 bail this morning after pleading innocent to grand theft charges. lohan is accused of stealing a $2,500 necklace from a los angeles area jewelry store. in court on wednesday, the judge warned her to stay out of trouble, or he will send her to jail. >> everyone in this room has to follow the law. the court, the d.a., your attorney, the sheriff's deputies, everybody. you're no different than anyone else. so, please, don't push your luck. >> lohan is still on probation from a 2007 drunk driving case. a grand theft conviction could mean up to three years in prison. in medical news, researchers report an alarming rise in

strokes among younger americans. between 1995 and 2007, the rate of strokes among males ages 15 to 34 jumped by 51%. and amongst females by 17%. there were also sharp increases among those age 35 to 44. experts blame the obesity epidemic. for millions of health conscious americans, it's a habit to avoid sugary soft drinks by ordering diet sodas. a new study suggests that may be a habit worth breaking. jim axelrod explains. >> reporter: if you think you're doing the right thing by drinking diet soda instead of regular. you may want to rethink that. >> we know that sugar and calories are not healthy. however, this is the first study to show that there may actually be health consequences of consuming diet soda. >> reporter: hannah gardner's team studied more than 2,500 people in new york city, and found those drinking diet soda had a 48% higher risk of stroke than those who reported no soda

drinking. >> we did not see a significant association between regular soft drink consumption and risk of combined vascular events. but we did see it for diet soda. >> reporter: americans drink 4.2 billion gallons of diet soda each year. that's nearly a third of all soda consumed in this country. since the people studied may have had other risk factors, much more investigation must now be done. but doctors say the study does deliver a valid warning. >> we can't conclude anything definitive. there needs to be more research. but i think it starts to give suggestions that maybe drinking diet soda is not the best thing for us. >> reporter: meaning people who choose diet soda believing it's healthier might be buying an illusion. jim axelrod, cbs news, new york. well, straight ahead your thursday morning weather. and in sports, there is no joy in mudville. and not much in cleveland, either. if you're a cavaliers fan. achoo! the seasons change,

but we still may suffer from nasal allergy symptoms. they can hit you year round... indoors or out. achoo! oh to have relief. prescription nasonex is clinically proven to help relieve nasal allergy symptoms... including congestion, runny and itchy nose and sneezing. [ female announcer ] side effects may include headache, viral infection, sore throat, nosebleeds, and coughing. infections of the nose and throat and eye problems, including glaucoma or cataracts may occur. have regular eye exams. slow wound healing may occur, so do not use nasonex until your nose has healed from any sore, surgery or injury. nasonex can increase your risk of getting infections. avoid contact with infections like chicken pox or measles while using nasonex. it does not come in generic form. ask your doctor if nasonex is right for you.

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rockies. and a new storm system is spinning nearby in the pacific ocean. later today, temperatures across the nation continue to dip below normal levels. the coldest air will be found around the great lakes and the northeast. and rain and snow is quickly moving through the southeast. in sports, it was grateful dead night in sacramento. nba great bill walton had to help lead the festivities and kings fans had fun. until late in the game against dallas. terry led the mavericks with 22 points and berea scored 15 of his 20 in the fourth quarter. the mavs beat the kings. in cleveland there was no joy at all for cavaliers fans. detroit led all the way and won it 103-94. and that pushed cleveland's losing streak to a new record, 26 straight. in college basketball, north carolina duked it out with duke. the 20th ranked tar heels looked great in the first half. taking a 16-point lead. but, the blue devils and nolan smith came on strong, scoring 22

of his 34 points in the send half as number five duke won it 79-73. and in another big rivalry, third ranked texas showed unranked oklahoma how it's done. the horns led all the way to win 68-52. texas is now 9-0 in the big twelve. and when we return, another look at this morning's top stories. plus, house republican leaders do lunch with president obama, as both sides seek common ground. he recommended citracal. it's different -- it's calcium citrate, so it can be absorbed with or without food. also available in small, easy-to-swallow petites. citracal. to stay fit, you might also want to try lifting one of these. a unique sea salt added to over 40 campbell's condensed soups. it helps us reduce sodium, but not flavor. so do a few lifts. campbell's.® it's amazing what soup can do.™ >> man: getting across town to a job interview

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on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. places in the southeast are seeing skies dry out, as the cold air races in. the arctic air is covering much much the nation from the rockies to the east coast. and the west coast is staying mild. here's another look at this morning's top stories. a gas leak may have caused a

house to explode in allentown, pennsylvania, last night. that fire followed and quickly spread, in fact, forcing hundreds to evacuate. at least two people are missing. and two-term republican congressman christopher lee resigned after this photo turned up on the internet. a woman told the website gawker that lee sent the photo to her after they met on craigslist. meanwhile, on capitol hill, a budget battle is brewing. a spending plan put out by house republicans wednesday saved $35 billion. but conservative members say that's not enough. that has triggered a scramble to find deeper cuts. earlier, the new republican leaders met with president obama for the first time since the gop took control of the house. cbs' joel brown reports. >> reporter: these men, the most powerful republicans in the house, had a lunch date with the most powerful man in the world. they sat down with president obama at the white house for a discussion about where the government plans to put its money. >> without a doubt there will be, i think, a heavy discussion

on the economy, and on spending. >> we need to cut spending. we need to stop unnecessary regulation that's hampering small businesses' ability to hire people. >> reporter: the division of power here on capitol hill means the president has to have republican support if he hopes to get any of his agenda items turned in to law. >> they're involved in the responsibility of governing, and i think an exchange of ideas on the issues that we face are important. >> reporter: when the gop took control of the house last month they tried to quickly repeal the health care reform law but that effort ultimately failed. so now house republicans are pushing a new bill that would strip every dollar of funding for the health care law. >> we're going to continue to look at all ways to save money on behalf of the american people. >> reporter: democrats still control the senate so they're likely to stop that proposal in its tracks. despite their differences, both sides have pledged to work together on as many things as possible. the first big test will come early next week when the president releases his budget

plan for the coming year. joel brown, cbs news, washington. on "the early show" an update on congresswoman gabrielle giffords. i'm betty nguyen. this is the "cbs morning news." i was really excited to use sensodyne iso-active because it was different than any other toothpaste i'd ever seen before. i have sensitive teeth as well, so i want to make sure that i can deal with that problem. i love the fact that the gel turns into a foam. it spread all over my mouth and was able to get all areas of my teeth -- in the back and around. you just feel like it's really working. my mouth and breath felt really fresh and clean. not only does sensodyne iso-active make my mouth feel fresh, but it also has that ability to help me with my sensitive teeth. with a whitening aspect to it, it's even better. a fiber that dissolves completely,

is clearly different. benefiber. it's the easy way to get more fiber everyday. that's the beauty of benefiber. ,, it's the easy way to get more fiber everyday. a great change is at hand and our task is to make that revolution, that change, peaceful and constructive for all. those who look only to the past or the present, are certain to miss the future. do not pray for easy lives. pray to be stronger men. ask not what your country can do for you. ask what you can do for your country.

this kid's got talent. johnny mcafee of the university of connecticut football team performing some incredible trick shots on a new video. shows him knocking a bottle off someone's head from several distances. make throws blindfolded and even breaking plates in the air. he's also seen making some unbelievable shots from the basketball court from the seats. the youtube video has already gone viral and it's one of the most searched on google. well, wake forest baseball coach tom walter is expected to leave the hospital and return home to north carolina today. this, after an incredible act of generosity. all to help one of his players. richard schlesinger has details. >> reporter: he had almost no

warning. 19-year-old kevin jordan was a promising baseball player. an outfielder recruited to wake forest university by coach tom walter. that was before kevin's kidneys failed. >> at the time i didn't know what it was. i just -- i thought i was out of shape, and i kind of knew it in the back of my mind, i wasn't. >> reporter: he had a rare disease that caused kevin's immune system to attack his own body. just months after he was diagnosed, kevin was on dialysis and needed a kidney transplant. average wait time, three years. >> my initial thought was that there's no way that kevin jordan should have to go through what he's been through for another three years. >> reporter: there was a way out. find a volunteer donor. the coach was a match and that's all he needed to know. he decided to give his player his kidney. >> i never asked. he volunteered off the bat. and i don't know if i would have asked. >> it was a clear-cut decision. it was, i had the ability to help kevin jordan have a normal

life. >> reporter: it was no small gesture. it involved major surgery. two, actually. one to remove the kidney from coach walter. another to transplant it into kevin. both were performed two days ago at emery university hospital in atlanta. >> i'm still a little sore. but i feel fine. >> reporter: doctors say both kevin and the coach can expect full lives. normal lives. except there will always be something extraordinary between them. >> our blood runs together. so as the saying goes, blood is thicker than water. and kevin and i will always, will always share blood. >> reporter: it's a special bond between a player and the coach who gave him a chance to play, and a second chance at life. richard schlesinger, cbs news, new york. >> what a story there. well, coming up a little bit later on "the early show," an update on the recovery of gabrielle giffords as she reaches another milestone. we're going to hear from a close friend. also, the cell phone wars are on.

tips on taking advantage of some big promotions being offered right now. and a chat with singer bruno mars as we get a preview of the grammy awards this sunday. that's the "cbs morning news" for this thursday. thanks for watching, everybody, i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. ody, i'm betty nguyen. have a great day. ,,,,,,,,